"Nya! What happened, Boss?"
Kuroka leaned closer, her golden hazel eyes wide with a mixture of curiosity and alarm as she checked on Jay.
The black-haired young man was hunched over, his chest heaving as he panted heavily. Cold sweat matted his hair to his forehead, and his hands were dug deep into the soil of the garden.
Suddenly, Kuroka's eyebrows furrowed.
Her Nekushou instincts screamed at her to retreat as Jay's body suddenly exerted an immense terrifying energy.
Her pupils dilated into thin vertical slits.
As a dark, almost obsidian aura erupted from Jay's body... It was a familiar Senjutsu Ki that shrouded by something else. And as the aura brushed against the grass and the stray petals, they simply turned into nothingness.
But then, just as quickly as the aura erupted, it began to dissipate. Jay sucked in a sharp breath, his jaw tightening as he struggled to regain control of the emanating aura.
"Nya!? That was... was that Senjutsu!?" Kuroka asked, her body still tensed in a defensive crouch. She knew the weight of a powerful aura and the flow of Ki better than almost anyone, but this hadn't been a simple circulation of life force. It felt like the breath of the end itself.
And then, from behind Kuroka, Bilqis and Solomon suddenly appeared.
"Umu, it seems that it is not even taking him more than one try to learn Senjutsu," Bilqis noted with a touch of intrigue.
Her jade eyes shimmered as she scanned the Ki within Jay's body, peeling back the stream of Ki inside his body.
"But it seems that when Zayyn-sama tries to use it, since Ayin is essentially a form of spirit... much like the Heavenly Father, he ends up channeling not just Senjutsu, but the very concept of Absolute Nonexistence along with it."
As Bilqis looked deeper with her spirit eyes, she searched for the familiar seven chakra points that existed in all living bodies. But inside Jay, she found nothing. There were no points, no Ki, nothing, as if his very being was made of Absolute Nonexistence.
Jay, having regained his composure, remained seated in the dirt.
"I understand it now."
"Nya?" Kuroka tilted her head, confused by his sudden words.
Jay stared at the green blades of grass beneath him, his dark hazel eyes reflecting a newfound realization after what had just happened.
"It seems like all this time, every time I use the Black Flame, I've been unconsciously extorting my own life force or spirit, making what I've been doing in principle similar to Senjutsu," Jay said.
"Then, what's the point of learning Senjutsu if you are still going to use that scary power of yours-Nya?" Kuroka asked, her tail swishing with a hint of exasperation.
"Well, I have an idea that I want to try."
"Idea-nya?"
Jay offered a small nod. "I remember vaguely when the black flame first manifested. It appeared as Incinerate Anthem first, a bright purple flame, before it slowly turned black, as if it were being contaminated. All this time, I thought the black flame was the manifestation of nothingness itself... But I was wrong."
He raised his hand for everyone to see.
And with a thought, a flicker of purple flame ignited in his palm.
It was beautiful, flickering with holy fire and an aura befitting its status as one of the Thirteen Longinus. But then, a dark stain appeared at the base of the wick. The blackness spread like ink in water, corroding the purple until the flame became a familiar void, the Black Flame, consuming the air around his hand.
"Hoo, interesting," Solomon remarked. Even for a man of many experiences like him, what Jay had just done was something entirely new.
"Nya? What does that even mean?" Kuroka asked, leaning in despite her better judgment.
"It means that all this time, the black flame is just Incinerate Anthem's Purple Flame infused with the Absolute Nonexistence," Jay explained.
"And instead of being bound to an object like its previous owner, Incinerate Anthem is directly bound to me and my spirit as its avatar."
Jay then looked at the Black Flame, his thoughts drifting back to his past conversation with the Archangel of Heaven.
'That's also why Michael said there is no subspecies Balance Breaker of Incinerate Anthem… because I probably haven't even awakened my Balance Breaker yet. The Black Flame was just an infused state of Incinerate Anthem's base form,' he thought.
"And because of that..." Jay muttered.
Jay focused his mind, visualizing a barrier between his will and the nothingness. Slowly, the blackness in the flame began to recede, being absorbed back into his palm.
The fire brightened, shifting back to its original purple hue.
Kuroka, Bilqis, and even Solomon were stunned.
"Well... it kind of needs some immense control and concentration to separate the two, but it's possible," Jay said. He closed his hand, and the purple flame vanished. He looked at the three of them with flat expression.
"Hmm... So your idea is that it's also possible to do this with your spirit? To separate the Absolute Nonexistence from it?" Bilqis asked.
Jay nodded firmly.
She turned to her husband, her brow arched in a silent question. "Is that even possible, husband?"
Solomon scratched his chin, his eyes distant as he crunched the idea.
"Hmm... Let's see. In theory, it should be impossible. But then again, Zayyn-kun is still a human, in flesh and soul. That means there is still a human spirit inside of him. A human spirit that happens to be coexist with the concept of Absolute Nonexistence."
"That's sounds..."
Jay didn't wait for further debate.
"Alright, let me just try it."
He closed his eyes and tried to draw upon the natural energy around him and within himself. He felt the current flow toward his right hand, a gentle warmth from the earth and the trees. But as the energy combined with the Ki from within his body, suddenly-
SHUUUNG
A black aura enveloped his hand as it consumed everything around it, except for his own body and turned it into nothing.
Jay activated Avesta, trying to scan the aura.
Usually, the Dragoneye would reveal the composition and structure of any magic, spell, energy, or aura in the form of runes and words. But on the Black Aura, there was nothing.
Simply nonexistence.
'As expected. Even Avesta cannot comprehend the primordia concept of Nonexistence,' Jay thought.
He pushed further, trying to peel the blackness away from the Ki he had gathered in his hand. For a moment, his hand shook from the effort, until suddenly a sharp pain lanced through his chest.
COUGH
Jay doubled over, blood splattering onto the grass as the black energy in his hand vanished instantly.
"Nya!? Boss!" Kuroka rushed forward, hastily supporting Jay's body to keep him from collapsing as he suddenly coughed up blood.
Bilqis's eyes widened, her gaze shifting to the analytical look on Solomon's face.
"It's okay, Kuroka." Jay wiped the blood from his mouth and pushed himself back up, staring at his trembling right hand.
"It seems like your body... no, any physical body... isn't capable of extorting that much Nonexistence in a pure spirit energy or Ki form," Solomon observed.
"The flame was indeed the perfect medium for it all this time as it provided a vessel to contain that concept." He continued.
"Nya? Then is Boss really unable to hold Senjutsu for more than a minute?" Kuroka asked, her voice soft. There was genuine concern in her eyes now, the playfulness gone.
Jay shook his head, his gaze hardening. "No, it's possible. I just need to separate it before it leaves my body... I have to do it inside my consciousness."
'And I shouldn't go too deep, or I'll meet that figure again, what I assume is the Absolute Nonexistence, the Ayin inside my body,' he thought.
Jay then looked at the Nekoshou girl.
"Kuroka, it's alright. Let me try again."
Kuroka was hesitant, her ears flattened against her head, but she eventually stepped back as Jay returned to the Zazen position.
His spine straight, his breathing slowing until it was almost imperceptible.
And then he dived inward.
He passed the physical layer, the mental layer, and entered the realm of absolute nonexistence inside his consciousness once more. The silence here was deafening.
Next, I'm supposed to search for my own spirit inside this nothingness.
As Jay hovered in the darkness, traveling through his own consciousness, a thought lingered at the back of his mind about the paradox of his entire existence. It was a contradiction that he, a human, a being of existence, could coexist with a power that reduced everything to nonexistence.
Why him?
He navigated the darkness for what felt like hours.
Before him, in the distance, a tiny spark flickered. It was a pinpoint of light in the world of darkness. Jay immediately tried to move closer, and as the spark grew, it revealed a figure bathed in pure, brilliant white.
That's… my human spirit.
Like the black silhouette he had seen before, the white figure lacked distinct features at first.
But as Jay approached, the light shifted, acting like a mirror. It took on his shape, his height, his hair, his silhouette. A faint, shimmering boundary surrounded the white figure, like a thin glass wall between the light and the encroaching darkness.
It was as if that boundary was what allowed it to still exist.
Is this what they call the indomitable human spirit?
Jay walked toward the light. And as he neared the boundary, a stream of soft grey energy reached out to him. It was neither the blinding white of his soul nor the devouring black of the void, and then the grey mist slowly enveloped his consciousness.
Meanwhile, on the outside, an hour had passed since Jay closed his eyes, and even longer for Lavinia, who remained in her zazen posture.
As her Senjutsu sensed an incoming energy, Kuroka turned his bored eyes.
"Nya?" Kuroka whispered.
A soft grey aura began to seep from Jay's skin as it flowed like smoke, wrapping around his limbs until he was encased in a blazing grey shroud of Senjutsu Ki.
Jay opened his eyes slowly, showing the dark hazel eyes as the golden X in his left eye glowing with a steady light.
"Yeah. I can use Senjutsu now."
"Nya!!!! What the fuck!? In one hour!?" Kuroka yelled, jumping back and pointing an accusing finger at him.
"That's ridiculous! How is that even fair? Not even the most gifted Nekoshou could release a Senjutsu Ki the first time they tried! The control, the malice, the nature energy... let alone a human who shouldn't have an affinity toward nature-nya!?"
Solomon and Bilqis shared a knowing smile. They were no longer surprised by the way Jay broke the rules of reality.
"Didn't I tell you I've been using the same principle all this time?" Jay said, the grey Ki slowly dissipating as he stood up and stretched.
"The act of releasing my own spirit or Ki isn't hard because I'm used to it. The hard part was the separation. Even now, it requires an absurd amount of focus."
"Nya!? Like hell I care about your reasoning, you cheater! What about the malice and the ill that flows through the nature? Usually, for beginners, that's the part that makes them lose their minds!"
Jay paused before he shook his head.
"No. I didn't feel anything."
Kuroka looked utterly defeated, dropping her shoulders as she decided to stop questioning his common-sense-defying progress.
Jay turned his attention to Lavinia. Her body, which had been as still as a statue, suddenly twitched.
He scanned her, noting a sudden spike in her energy.
And suddenly, a single tear rolled down her cheek as she opened her eyes.
"Lavi?" Jay raised his eyebrows and hurried toward her side.
As his hand touched her shoulder, Lavinia turned her head.
Her sapphire eyes were glassy and unfocused for a second before they found Jay's face. A flash of profound relief washed over her features, and finally a small, weary smile touched her lips.
"Illya-kun... you're still here."
Her eyes rolled back, and she slumped forward. Jay caught her instantly, pulling her into a protective embrace.
"Please... don't leave me again," Lavinia's voice was a muffled, broken whisper against his ear before she went limp in his arms.
Jay remained silent, his heart aching as he held her.
He then sent a glance towards Kuroka.
"Is this normal, Kuroka?"
Kuroka nodded, her expression softening.
"It's completely normal-nya. For a Senjutsu user to feel overwhelmed after absorbing the malice of the world for the first time... it's part of connecting with nature. In fact, she did better than most as she didn't go berserk or lose herself-nya."
Satisfied with her explanation, Jay adjusted his grip as he picked Lavinia up, carrying her in a princess style. She felt light, her head resting against his chest.
Solomon's voice broke the silence. "I think that's enough for today. It has been a fruitful day, but in intense training, rest is just as important as the work."
"Nya! I'm hungry too..." Kuroka added, patting her stomach.
Jay remained silent.
"Very well. Let's go, Kuroka," Jay said as he began walking back toward their room inside the temple, the cat-girl following closely behind.
Solomon and Bilqis remained under the cedar tree as they watching them depart to their room. Solomon's usual relaxed demeanor shifted, his expression turning grave and complicated as he stared at the ground.
Bilqis noticed the change immediately.
She tilted her head, her jackal ears twitching.
"Hm? Is there something wrong, my husband?"
Solomon's gaze remained fixed on the spot where Jay had been sitting.
'No... what happens if he fully realizes the Ayin within him? If he completely turns his whole human existence into non-existence, then won't he simply cease to be?'
But then, a sudden realization struck the King.
His eyes widened as he looked up at the artificial sky of the sanctuary.
'Don't tell me… the key to Infinity, to Ein Sof, isn't simply to fully realize Ayin and become Nonexistence… but rather to dissolve the boundary that makes existence and nonexistence appear separate, and to become truly boundless.'
'And to achieve that, both must coexist, not just one alone.'
Solomon let out a sudden, boisterous laugh.
"Haha! So that's why it manifested in him, a human. No... it had to be... Solomon's smile was a bittersweet mixture of hap"piness and sorrow.
"So that was your plan all along, Heavenly Father," he said, causing Bilqis to tilt her head in even greater confusion
"Hmm? What are you talking about, husband?"
"It's nothing, my love. I just feel like today is a good day to have a drink," Solomon said, his eyes following the black-haired boy until he disappeared from sight.
Bilqis smiled, wrapping her arms around Solomon's.
"I don't know what has suddenly gotten into you, but let's go then!"
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Well, I want to hear from you guys.
Should I update the Character Biography regarding Jay's power, or would that be too much of a spoiler? Or should I reveal the information in a chapter instead?